I work with a guy who knows tons more than me, and every time he tells me something new - I store it and sure enough, time comes to pass that I see his suggestion was dead on. Granted I don't have the discretionary cash he has and I withhold judgment for a little while, but I think if you broach the subject as a nice informative guy then the noobies will appreciate the fact you even talked to them about their hobby! Sometimes I feel like such an ignorant noob that I'm not even worth chatting with. Meaning he is way up there and I'm way down here, why bother him with my ignorant questions, like do you ever coast or are you always pedaling, or do you wear eye protection. I've asked some stupid questions, but I really really was curious, and was really really ignorant.

There's another guy in the office who keeps talking about how his bike makes noise and I can't suggest to him about how to adjust a derailer anymore. If he's not going to make the effort to do more research or get his hands dirty ... He just bought a new bike and is complaining that it is making noise. For cryin' out loud - get out your screw driver and poke around a little.